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From my mom: To each of you who have been so kind, courteous, and respectful to send a card, enclose a check, or pay their respects to my daughter, Rhiannon Rumler, on behalf of my family I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Each of the words you have shared have helped us in this time of sorrow, and although there are never enough words to take away the pain of our loss, it has been comforting to know that you shared your sympathy and prayers with us. Rhiannon Marie Rumler was born on October 30th, 1980, along with her twin sister Rachel Michelle in St. Louis, MO. Our daughters were 3 months premature weighing in at under 2 pounds each and their chance of survival was less than 50/50. Fighters from the start, Rhiannon managed to come home at 3 months of age and Rachel 5 months. The road from childhood to adulthood was not always easy for Rhiannon especially after, being diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at the age of 2 which affected the left side of her body making physical activities a challenge. Although physically challenged, Rhiannon excelled intellectually and she maintained honor and high honor roll throughout her elementary, middle, and high school years. The announcement at the graduation awards ceremony that Rhiannon had been selected to receive the Thelma Zalk Award for Special School District Acedemics entitling her to a 4 year scholarship to the college of her choice, was indeed one of the proudest moments in our family's lives. For those who had the privilege of knowing my daughter Rhiannon, you know that the word "quit" was not a part of her vocabulary. The obstacles that stood in her way throughout her life were merely an inconvenience. The determination of this young woman to further her education and to be a role model for those less fortunate was insatiable. Although her illness prevented her from attending school, she never stopped in her quest to find the answer to solve her condition. Frail and on oxygen, we would often find her hovered over the computer, searching the Internet for another avenue to explore. In the past few days I have asked God, why? Why did my daughter have to leave us so young? Why did my baby suffer the last 3 years of her life in constant pain and unable to breathe on her own? And yet I know that God doesn't always give us a reason why. To those of you who cared, and prayed, and who thought of my family during this time, here is what I do know: Rhiannon Rumler was an intelligent and promising student and she was loved so much by her mothers and sister, more than she could have ever imagined. She had a gift of laughing right along with you and you would find yourself laughing right along with her. Rhiannon was one of her mother's biggest fans and she always laughed at my jokes, which then made me laugh at them and somehow it gave me the idea I could be a stand up comedian after all at least in my mind! Rhiannon loved me, and Diane, and her sister, and all of our friends. Rhiannon was tenacious, and passionate about life and trust me she would never have gone down easy. And I think God knew this, and that is why our precious lamb went to sleep and then woke up in the arms of Jesus. She is no longer in pain, she is no longer physically challenged and most of all we are certain that she is in heaven watching over us, our own little tenacious guardian angel to keep us all safe. Thank you and God bless you, Mardel (Marty) Cheatham, Diane Ritter, and Rachel Cavic